KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the neighbouring countries to exercise restraint regarding the expulsion of Afghan refugees and avoid mistreatment of Afghans there.
Some Afghan refugees in Iran have complained about the harsh behavior of Iranian police while Tehran has warned against deporting Afghans without legal documents.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during his first speech as president said that Afghan refugees would be returned to their country in a dignified manner.
BBC Farsi quoted top Iranian Security Official Ahmad Raza Radan saying that by the end of this year, nearly two million foreigners without legal documents would be expelled from Iran.
Afghan refugees in Iran treated unfairly:
Waliullah Sulaimani, a resident of the Pul-i-Charkhi area in Kabul, told Pajhwok Afghan News he went to Iran six months ago for work and found a work in the Sheraz City of Iran.
He said despite legal documents he was arrested and expelled by Iranian police one month ago.
Referring to his deportation from Iran, he said: “It was evening, I went to get bread because I was living alone, my family was in Afghanistan, then the police came and took my passport, besides two months validity in my visa they warned me of deportation and demanded 20 million Toman to avoid deportation.”
He said: “I pleaded that my visa is valid and release me, police wanted to burn my passport and half of the passport was burned, they hit me to the earth and took me and some other individuals to the military camp where the torture and beat us, then the deported us.”
Sahar Mohammadi, one of the Afghan refugees, said he lived with this family in Tehran legally for the past two years. He said that so far he faced no problem.
He added: “In Tehran, in the bakeries, they give us Afghans bread, but in the far places that are far from the center, in its provinces, there are many such things; Like in Mashhad, they don't give bread to Afghans there, this is true, they mistreat Afghans in the subways, the common people of Iran stop and make fun of Afghans, there is a lot of mistreatment.”
Kochi, a resident of Kapesa province currently lived in Iran’s Mashad City for the past three years, he said: “I was police in the previous regime, after the collapse of the republic regime, I came to Iran illegally with some friends and work here in a garden.”
Referring to the fact that most of Afghan refugees in Iran were mistreated, he said: “Once, the police arrested us, they beat us very cruelly, they insulted all the detainees that you ruined your own country, while you are ruining Iran, they didn't even give us anything to eat for two days and nights, but the owner of our garden is a very good person, he came and freed us.”
MoFA calls for restrain on refugees’ deportation
Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during a meeting with some ambassadors and representatives of international Organisations, said: “Stability in Afghanistan is in the interest of all, we want all the neighbouring countries to show restraint regarding the deportation of Afghan refugees until Afghanistan came out of the impact of the past 40 years of war and stand on its feet.”
He said: “In particular, we want the countries of Iran and Pakistan, which have been hospitable to millions of Afghans for forty years, to deal with the immigrants with good intentions and with better patience, not to burden the immigrants so that the immigrants themselves return to the country of their own free will.”
He appreciated the international organizations assistance to refugees and said that these organizations should continue their support with the Afghans, especially the refugees living in the camps in the neighboring countries
Dignified return of Afghan refugees
New Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian while referring to a question regarding the state of Afghan refugees in Iran said: “Efforts were underway to send back illegal refugees in a dignified manner.”
He said: “Regarding Afghans, we have held three meetings in the Supreme Security Council. Some people have passports, they are treated the same. Some people who came illegally should be dealt with within the framework of the law”.
The president said: “We are brothers, but it is necessary to observe the frameworks between governments. We are setting up the legal framework.”
nh
GET IN TOUCH
NEWSLETTER
SUGGEST A STORY
PAJHWOK MOBILE APP